Barebones vs others

[ahmadmz]

Hi, i want to buy a 15.4" or 17" widescreen laptop for gaming etc. My budget is $1200. I was thinking about dell e1505 but i read about barebones, buying ur components seperately and making it urself, its cheaper etc. This is gonna be my first laptop and i have no knowledge about these things.. Are barebones better ? or should i get something like a Dell? And which is usually cheaper ? Any recommendations for the best laptop (build quality, screen, specs) thats under $1200?? Thanks

 

[tickle_me_emo]

Hi, i want to buy a 15.4" or 17" widescreen laptop for gaming etc. My budget is $1200. I was thinking about dell e1505 but i read about barebones, buying ur components seperately and making it urself, its cheaper etc. This is gonna be my first laptop and i have no knowledge about these things.. Are barebones better ? or should i get something like a Dell? And which is usually cheaper ? Any recommendations for the best laptop (build quality, screen, specs) thats under $1200?? Thanks

It's going to be hard to get a 17 inch laptop for under $1200 + shipping.

You could try configuring an e1705 on dells website and use this coupon:

Use code 8JVC1R9N6V8VC9 to save 20% off $999.00+ on this Dell Inspiron notebook. (valid 11/30/2006 - 12/7/2006 7:00:00 AM)

I was able to configure one by only upgrading to a 1.6ghz core 2 duo and a nvidia 7900gs (everything else at stock) which should be pretty darn good for gaming at a price of $1280 (included tax and shipping).

You could also try looking at the dell outlet, look for some e1705's with the nvidia 7900gs for around $1000-1100.



As for barebones laptops, check out this review from hardocp

Most of the time you're just barely going to beat a resellers prices by building your own system, you might come out $50-$100 ahead. But you have to factor in the man hours you put into building your system and making sure all your parts work. Most of the time it's not worth it unless you get a killer deal on a processor or ram. Probably the best reason to do it is if you can't afford a laptop upfront, but on a weekly basis you'll have enough cash to buy a part to piece together your laptop.

try configuring an asus S96j at one of these resellers, then compare it to the barebones kit + the extra parts you need, you might come out ahead
here is a list of asus resellers
you can get barebone systems at btotech and milestonepc, both of them have excellent reseller ratings

Those are some of the better laptops you can get for under $1200. The dell will be better at gaming, but the asus has a bit better build quality.

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